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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22837510">Persona 3 Restart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField'>MachineryField</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Female Persona 3 Protagonist and Male Persona 3 Protagonist are Twins, Gen, Persona 3 Spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:49:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,473</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22837510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Kotone and Sakuya Shiomi prepare to begin their school year in Tatsumi Port Island, Aigis awakens and finds something is <i>very</i> wrong.</p><p>For starters, the year should no longer be 2009.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aigis/Persona 3 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue: The Start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21492583">Siblinghood</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxetia/pseuds/sxetia">sxetia</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Retry at an old fic I wanted to do, now that I'm better at writing. Biiiiig shoutout to sxetia and the fic I (hopefully) have listed as an inspo bc it gave me a lot of ideas for how I'll do Kotone and Sakuya's relationship in this AU!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kotone looked out across Port Island, a small smile on her face. Tomorrow would be her first day at a new school, here on a tennis scholarship. She still remembered the way her uncle had patted her on the back, told her she would do great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a bit nerve-wracking, but she was sure she could manage it… She just wished she could shake the feeling of dread she had whenever she thought of this place… Maybe it was just her imagination, trying to get to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, walking into the girl’s dorm with squared shoulders. No time to think about that, she told herself. Just smile and keep her head high. If she did that, she could get through anything!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Up the stairs, to the third floor where her room would be. Put down her bags and lay in the bed, get excited about the new year. Refuse to think about that bridge and </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> it gave her a bad feeling. Try to remember the little blue haired boy she hadn’t seen in years…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sakuya…” She held her hand up into the air, a frown on her face. Where had he gone? Was he doing alright now? The way he had looked the last time she’d seen him…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned onto her side, punching the bed, forcing back tears. It wasn’t time to think about Sakuya, to think about the way he’d been forced to go to the family on their father’s side even when Uncle Naoya had wanted to take them both in…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was a fresh start for her, she couldn’t let the memories of that night ruin it. She just needed to keep telling herself that. She would make friends and enjoy her time at Gekkoukan High…!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her thoughts of Sakuya would just have to be buried one more time. A bit deeper, if she could manage it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakuya’s train had gotten to Tatsumi Port Island late. This didn’t bother him, in fact, he felt as if he’d been late getting here sometime before… It really was whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walked, the lights went out and his MP3 stopped playing music. He raised an eyebrow for a moment, looking at the player. It had shut off and wouldn’t turn on, no matter how much he pressed the power button.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weird…” He let it fall back into place, shoulders slouching as he made his way out of the train station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He told himself to not look at the pools that looked like blood, to not look at the coffins lining the street as he walked. Whatever this was, it didn’t matter. For all he knew, he could be imagining it, the ghosts of the past haunting him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was fine, though. No matter how much they haunted him, his expression remained unchanged. Looking out, as if he was seeing nothing. No matter how bad things persisted, nothing really could phase him anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Apathy at its finest</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his family member of the month would say, before shipping him to the next, unable to handle his blank stares and quiet voice. Unable to break through something Sakuya had been for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s why he hadn’t argued when being accepted into Gekkoukan High. He would live in a dorm, no relative to ship him off after they were tired of him this time. He would finish out an entire year of school here, maybe two if he was lucky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thoughts faded as he made it to the dorm. He opened the door, walking in to the same eerie lack of lights as the train station. All over the island, then, he guessed? Well, whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re late.” He turned at the sound of a little boy’s voice, now face to face with a child in striped pajamas. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aigis’s eyes snapped open and she could see something was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong. They had made their choice after seeing Sakuya’s choice to sacrifice himself.  They would move on, Aigis would not go to the lab, she would try and live on…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But here she was, the same place she had been when she woke up, shortly before she’d seen Sakuya for the first time since the Moonlight Bridge Incident… The sounds of beeping and machinery told her she wasn’t alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, with just the turn on her head she could see scientists, running tests on…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Metis!” Her little sister’s name escaped her mouth as she stood. “Why are you here…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sister!” The discomfort on her face as she sat, letting the scientists poke and prod, faded into a look of relief. “I was so worried! They said they wouldn’t wake you up until they could run tests on me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood, running and breaking cables out of her body as she did so, throwing herself into Aigis’s arms. Aigis returned the hug, looking to the scientists, her head tilted to the side. They looked almost horrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is something the matter?” She released Metis, moving to stand between them. “Why are you looking at Metis like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W...well, she…” The woman who seemed to be in charge swallowed hard before shaking her head. “No, I think this is something we should speak with Kirijo-san about first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kirijo…” She balled her hand into a fist, taking another step forward. “Excuse me, could you please put me in contact with Mitsuru Kirijo? I… need to speak to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know of Kirijo-san’s daughter?” Her eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” She nodded. “Please, I need to speak to her as soon as possible. It… it’s very important that I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-alright. I’ll see what we can do.” With that, she turned on her heel and left as quickly as possible, discomfort clear as she went.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sister…” Metis walked up behind her. “Where are we?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1: Confusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sakuya signed the contract the little boy wanted him to, and he thought things would get back on track. He would find whoever ran the dorm and go to sleep, move on with the night… It was late, and he probably needed some sleep before school, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s there?!” He turned at the sound of another voice, the boy vanishing as he turned away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing there was a girl in a Gekkoukan uniform, though modified with a pink sweater over top of her normal uniform. She seemed to be holding a gun, but as soon as she saw who was there, she dropped it, a small gasp escaping her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sa… Sakuya…” She covered her mouth, eyes wide. “H-how… you should…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have been here earlier, right?” He was unphased as the girl looked at him with teary eyes. “The trains ran late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wiped away the tears, trying to gain some composure. “O-of course. Silly me, forgetting about that delay…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.” He shrugged. “It happens…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Footsteps alerted him to another arrival, an older girl, hair a vibrant red. “Yukari, what’s the-- S-Shiomi?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s me.” He nodded, unfazed by the shocked look on her face. “...The trains were delayed, so I was late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I just assumed you may have to delay the entire day…” She swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. “W-welcome, Shiomi. Yukari will show you to your dorm room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just… follow me.” She grabbed the gun off the ground, putting it back into a holster as casually as possible. “I-it shouldn’t take long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and followed her to the second floor, end of the hall. He looked around, the place seemed pretty...empty. Not very lived in, if he had to take a guess. Maybe everyone who was here had things they did that kept them away, then…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here it is!” The Yukari girl was clearly nervous as she showed him his room. “If you need anything, Mitsuru-senpai and I have rooms on the third floor… Uh… any questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” He shook his head, voice quiet. “Goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O-oh, yeah, goodnight.” She nodded, moving out of his way and down the hall. “See you tomorrow…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kotone couldn’t stay asleep, which the clock reading 12:30 in the morning told her. With a sigh, she pulled herself out of bed, planning to get herself a drink or a snack or… something. Anything to keep her mind occupied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thought of all the coping mechanisms Dr.Sonomura had told her to use as she walked down the stairs, towards the communal kitchen. If she ever needed them, it was when she couldn’t sleep at night… Especially when Uncle Naoya wasn’t there for her to wake up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being alone with her thoughts was just about the most dangerous position for Kotone to be in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need some fresh air…” She abandoned her plans for food or drink and headed for the front door, doing her best to be quiet. Last thing she needed right now was to be caught and scolded for heading out so late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, thankfully, she made it out like a Phantom Thief making a run with a treasure. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling the air against her skin as she calmed herself down. This was what she needed…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a little walk…” She started down the pathway, soaking in the calm atmosphere of the night. Nothing wrong with some alone time…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, she soon realized she wasn’t so alone. There was someone else out, a baseball cap on his head. The way he was looking around made him seem confused, and, well… Kotone couldn’t just leave him alone if that was the case!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me!” She ran up towards him, waving a hand in the air. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha--?!” He jumped, hand to his chest. “I was until you gave me a heart attack running up on me like that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah~! Sorry.” She clapped her hands in front of her. “I was just worried, you looked really confused!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Confused, huh…? Guess I kinda am…” He scratched his cheek with a frown. “...Say, what year is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” She blinked. “It’s 2009…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned, hanging his head low. “Yeah… really confused.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kotone frowned, brow furrowed. “What in the world are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t worry about it.” He waved a hand in the air as he straightened up his head and turned to walk away. “Nothing for a normal lady like you to worry about…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kotone couldn’t think of what to say before the guy was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aigis held the phone, doing her best to not shake as she came to terms with what was happening to her. Mitsuru was on the other end and Metis was sitting next to her, watching with a concerned frown… she couldn’t afford to falter now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mitsuru-san.” Aigis swallowed hard as she spoke. “I believe something has gone terribly wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yukari and I noticed… It’s 2009 again, it’s only the two of us and Akihiko in the dorm, and…” She trailed off, as if she didn’t want to say anything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mitsuru-san.” Her voice was as firm as she could manage. “Please tell me what else is off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s him, Aigis. Shiomi… he’s…” Mitsuru began to quiet again as she spoke. “He’s here and he’s alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aigis gripped the front of her chest, eyes closing. “He’s alive… but we decided to move on…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, that’s why I’m at a loss.” Mitsuru sighed and Aigis could picture her shaking her head. “Would you be willing to come back here? So we can regroup and… try to understand what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mitsuru-san…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it will be hard to see him again, especially with the bond the two of you shared, but…” She sounded like a lost girl. “I don’t know what else to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand, and as selfish as it is, I… I do want to see him again if we’re stuck in this situation.” She sighed, glancing at her sister. “Though, I want to make a request.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Metis is here with me, so please arrange for her to come as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akihiko had realized what night it was and wasted no time changing his plans for the night. If he really was back in 2009, if something had gone wrong and thrown SEES back in time… he needed to see if </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>was around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shinji.” There he was, as Akihiko hadn’t seen him in months. Alive, breathing, doing about as well as he could expect. “You’re here…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shinjiro looked at him, a small frown on his face. “Of course I am, Aki. You come looking for me here all the damn time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was right, Shinjiro wouldn’t know about his death. If they had really gone back in time, all of that hadn’t happened, at least not yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yeah, I know. I just checked the other usual spots and you weren’t there.” He tried to play it off, crossing his arms. “I wanted to talk to you, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about?” Shinjiro held up his hand after he spoke. “If it’s about SEES, there’s no way I’m joining up again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shinji…” Akihiko should’ve expected this, should’ve known it would take Ken to bring him back, still… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he couldn’t be sure Ken would join any earlier than before, for all he knew, he was the only one who remembered anything. Wouldn’t that be a new form of fresh hell… Knowing what would happen when everyone else was clueless…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s all you want, I’m leaving.” Shinjiro passed Akihiko and he didn’t have it in him to stop him. “See ya around, Aki.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fuuka woke up in her bed at home and knew something was wrong. This wasn’t right, even if she was to wake up in bed after what had happened, it should be the one in the dorm… She hadn’t lived at home for a while now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking, she pulled out her phone, dialling each of the other members (from memory, seeing as they were no longer saved in there). The only one to answer, however, was Ken. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuuka-senpai…” Ken’s voice was a whisper. “It’s you, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ken-kun, I’m so glad you picked up.” She let out a sigh of relief. “Something is wrong, my phone reads as the start of the 2009 school year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine too…” Ken sounded worried as he continued to speak. “D...did we mess up on something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Ken-kun… I wish I did.” She bit her lower lip as she pulled herself out of bed. “No one else answered, so I’m afraid we may not have answers until I can get in contact with one of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s too bad… I… I really don’t like this.” He sounded scared now, more scared than she’d ever heard him before. “Fuuka-senpai. If we’re back in 2009, does that mean we’ll have to watch him die again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuuka looked at her feet as the next question left her mouth. “Do you mean Sakuya… or Shinjiro-senpai?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both of them…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Ken-kun… I don’t know.”</span>
</p>
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